1. Briefly describe the (a) circumstances of the story; (b) the main conflict; and (c) the most important characters. The story of “Night” gives an insight to the views of a Jewish teenager’s (Eliezer) experiences at multiple Nazi concentration camps (Auschwitz (Buna)/Buchenwald). He is accompanied by his father, Shlomo, throughout the narrative. The story begins in the city of Sighet, located in current day Romania. Eliezer is being taught Judaism by his teacher, Moshe the Beadle. His teacher disappears only to reappear days later telling the town that the German Gestapo were murdering Jews. Eliezer tells the reader that Moshe the Beadle is not taken seriously, and therefore the townspeople do not fear the stories he tells. The Nazis come …show more content…
It is ultimately his faith that causes his persecution by the Nazis. His faith is routinely tested throughout the book by witnessing atrocities that he cannot comprehend. After spending time at Auschwitz, Eliezer begins to question the existence of God. He says that no God would allow so much death and suffering to occur. He begins to believe that man is stronger than God because of the circumstances he sees his people enduring. During Rosh Hashanah, Eliezer condemns God and says that God must apologize to him for the suffering he is allowing. Eliezer defies his religion again when he refuses to fast in an attempt to ridicule his God even more. Eliezer loses all faith in God when he sees the way the prisoners treat one another. Originally believing that God was everywhere, he develops the idea that God must be cruel and unjust to allow people to displace such high levels of hate among one another. He eventually gives up on God completely after being forced to ask so many questions about good vs evil with no response from a higher power. Elie Wiesel does an outstanding job of making you feel the emotions that he himself (Eliezer) was experiencing. His faith remains strong throughout the beginning of the story but is slowly broken down time and time again. Every atrocity he witnessed during the Holocaust made him lose more faith and ask more questions. It is not until his final hours at Buchenwald that he utterly loses faith